Union claims win in Bank of England pay fight

A union has claimed “victory” in a pay dispute that resulted in three days of strikes at the Bank of England.

Unite members in the Bank’s maintenance, parlours and security departments walked out at the beginning of August in protest at the imposition of a pay deal following the failure of peace talks at the conciliation service Acas.

The union said on Tuesday that 60% of staff involved had since voted to accept a deal to end the action.
On its first day, pickets protesting outside the Bank’s Threadneedle St headquarters in the City wore Mark Carney masks as part of the union’s campaign to get the governor involved in the negotiations.
Unite regional officer, Mercedes Sanchez, said: “Unite members have shown that by standing firm against an employer attempting to ignore their rights they can succeed.
“Unite will now be involved in all future pay negotiations at the bank from the outset. We welcome the bank’s new commitment for fair pay for all its staff.

“During the three days of strike action Unite members made it clear that the current pay situation was unacceptable and the union welcomes the bank’s acknowledgement that changes must be brought forward.
“As part of the deal Unite has also secured extra annual leave for bank staff, as well as a payment for lower paid staff in the 2017/18 pay review.”
The Bank responded that it was “glad” to have reached an agreement.
“The proposal that has been agreed includes a range of measures focused on improving our relationship with Unite and involving them more in pay discussions.
“We hope this leads to a more productive relationship with the Union going forward.”